Premera cyber attack

May 21, 2015

By Regence

Premera, a health plan in the Pacific Northwest, announced a cyber attack earlier this year resulting in unauthorized access to Premera's information technology (IT) system. The attack affects all of Premera’s health plans, including Premera BlueCross and LifeWise.

Some members of other Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, including Regence, have also been affected. That’s because each independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association participates in a program called BlueCard that allows members to receive in-network benefits when seeking medical care in another Blue plan’s service area. A doctor or hospital could have submitted personal information to Premera to receive payment if a Regence member received care in a service area where Premera operates (Alaska and Washington).

Approximately 341,000 current and former Regence members were affected by the cyber attack. Premera officially notified affected Regence members and is offering two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection services. To access these services, visit premeraupdate.com.

Regence also notified affected members and has established a dedicated call center for Regence members at 1-855-770-0004, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Committed to protecting personal information

We understand the worry and concern that an incident like this causes. While Regence’s information system was not hacked or affected by the cyber attack on Premera, our information security team along with third-party experts continues to closely monitor our systems for any signs of malicious activity.

Collectively, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are committed to doing everything possible to ensure the security and privacy of our customers against those who are intent on stealing personal information. Staying ahead of these very serious threats has been, and will continue to be, a top priority for the Blue Cross Blue Shield system.